But 14 hours later, police said, the discovery of the 21.1 grams elevated the charge from intent to distribute to trafficking.

That discovery was made during the course of a routine search of the back-seat, prisoner-transport area by an officer at the start of his patrol shift, police said.

Lozinski was nabbed shortly before 6 p.m. on Monday, according to Detective Sgt. Matthew Skwarto, after he was spotted driving a 1997 Chevrolet S-10 with unlawfully attached, cancelled license plates.

Skwarto says when he began following the pickup truck in his unmarked police car, Lozinski didn’t pull over and drove half a mile before pulling into the parking lot of GeKo gas on Weir Street — despite the fact that Skwarto was sounding his horn and had activated his police vehicle’s flashing blue lights.

A pat search of Lozinski, according to Skwarto, revealed a folding knife attached to his pants pocket. Skwarto says he also recovered 2.6 grams of what later tested positive for fentanyl from one of his pockets.

During the booking process at the police station, Skwarto said, police found Lozinski, who had a warrant out of Brockton District Court for driving on a suspended license, to be in possession of $1,542 in cash.

A search of his truck, before it was towed from the scene, turned up three digital scales, razor blades and 1.3 grams of fentanyl.

Police said they found the additional 21.1 grams of the powerful pain-killer fentanyl in the back of the cruiser that transported Lozinski to the station house on Tuesday at around 8:30 a.m.

Skwarto, in his report, describes noticing Lozinski, after he was arrested and placed into the back of the patrol car, moving around in a suspicious manner.

Lozinski, he said, complained that the handcuffs were too tight. But Skwarto says even after the cuffs were adjusted, Lozinski continued moving around while being transported downtown.

Lozinski, while being booked, allegedly admitted that he’d “(screwed) up” and was having trouble paying bills due to being unemployed.

He’s also charged with failing to stop for police; driving an unregistered vehicle; driving with unlawfully attached plates; and operating a vehicle with a suspended license.

His male passenger, listed as homeless, was not charged and was released, police said.

A conviction of trafficking 10 or more grams fentanyl, which is often sold as a heroin substitute, carries a jail term of up to 20 years in state prison.